CCGL9065: Our Response to Climate Change: HK2100
Food Systems
This Week’s Battlefield
Two Sides. Two Food Futures.
PRO-CLIMATE
= Transform the Food System
= “Meat is murder (of the planet)”
PRO-DEVELOPMENT
= Improve, Don’t Replace
= “Let people eat what they want”
The Core Tension
| PRO-CLIMATE | PRO-DEVELOPMENT |
|---|---|
| Reduce meat consumption | Improve meat production |
| Plant-based is the future | Choice and tradition matter |
| Systemic dietary change | Individual freedom |
| Global emissions focus | Local livelihoods focus |
| Health + planet aligned | Economic stability priority |
This tension defines every food policy debate.
Quick Recap From Two Weeks Ago
- ‘Us against the AI’
- Role-played as Pro-Climate/Pro-Development experts and different professions
- Did a little bit of work on Notion
- Skipped the Group Discussion
Logistic Questions
- Tutorial Assignments?
- Pick your time slots
- CIC-Badged so starting off with reflective writing for T1/T2 (W2/W3)
- Notion Pages and how that works?
- Refer to Annoucement Email on publishing and submitting
- Submit URL Only shared as published site
- Due EOD every Wednesday
CCGL9065: Our Response to Climate Change
Address Common Concerns on Pro-Climate/Pro-Development
- Take Climate Change Pro/Against as stances
- Discuss complex issues each week from various angles
- Familiarize with common/uncommon narratives
- Role-play as people from different social pockets
A little Brain-Storming with Pro-Climate Stances
- Highlight how climate change impacts these areas and propose sustainable solutions or adaptations.
- Tailor arguments to weekly themes to win more support through narratives/visuals/videos that shapes different people’s perceptions
- Raise awareness from public on why being more/less climate-friendly is relevant to everybody.
- Propose Solutions to theme-related challenges
Food Systems - What do we know about them?
Some of the hottest topics on food systems
- Plant-based diets/meat alternatives
- Shifting towards plant-based eating and rise of lab-grown meat
- Food waste reduction
- Strategies to minimize food waste throughout the supply chain from farm to table
- Regenerative agriculture:
- Farming practices that sequester carbon in soil, improve biodiversity and enhance ecosystem resilience.
- Vertical farming and urban agriculture
- Sustainable fishing: over-fishing?
- Carbon labeling of food products
Meat Alternatives & Climate Change: The Debate
Scientific Pros
- 30-90% fewer greenhouse gas emissions
- Significantly reduced land use
- Lower water consumption
Scientific Cons
- Energy-intensive processing for some alternatives
- Potential monoculture issues (e.g., soy, peas)
- Nutritional profile differences
Narrative Pros
- Innovative tech solution to climate change
- Enables “ethical consumption”
- Potential to improve global food security
Narrative Cons
- Perception as “overly processed” food
- Cultural resistance to traditional dish substitutes
- Accusations of “greenwashing”
Cutting-Edge Discussions
- Cell-based meat: Promise vs. reality
- Hybrid products: A transitional solution?
- Algae and mycoprotein: The next frontier
- Local vs. imported: Which is better?
- Holistic assessments: Beyond just emissions
- Policy impacts on climate benefits
Key Takeaway
Meat alternatives offer significant potential for climate change mitigation, but challenges remain. The debate is complex, involving science, culture, and policy.
Some Interesting Representation of those ideas - For-CC on Meat
Some Interesting Representation of those ideas - Against-CC on Meat
Building Your Food Spectacle
The Formula (Reminder)
Fact + Human Story + Stakes = Spectacle
Weak
“Beef production causes emissions”
Better
“1kg beef = 60kg CO₂. 1kg tofu = 2kg.”
Spectacle
“Your steak emits more carbon than your car commute. You grill it on Sundays while lecturing kids to save the planet.”
PRO-CLIMATE: Make It Personal
Don’t say: “Livestock contributes to deforestation.”
Say: “Every burger in Hong Kong has a piece of the Amazon in it. You’re eating rainforest.”
Don’t say: “We should reduce meat consumption.”
Say: “Your grandparents ate meat once a week. Now you eat it twice a day. Guess which generation is destroying the planet?”
PRO-DEVELOPMENT: Paint the Picture
Don’t say: “Dietary choices are personal.”
Say: “My grandmother survived famine. Now they want to tell her she can’t have pork at Chinese New Year? That’s not climate action — that’s cultural erasure.”
Don’t say: “Traditional farming supports livelihoods.”
Say: “Kill the cattle industry and you kill 50,000 farmers in the New Territories. Who retrains them? You? The activists?”
Human Story: The Sai Kung Fisherman
Uncle Wong has fished Hong Kong waters for 40 years. Climate activists say his catch is unsustainable.
PRO-CLIMATE says: “The fish stocks are collapsing. Wong is part of the problem. Buy farmed fish instead.”
PRO-DEVELOPMENT says: “Wong’s family fished here for five generations. Now some university kid with a degree tells him he’s destroying the ocean? He can barely afford rent.”
The real question: How do we protect both the ocean and Uncle Wong?
Remember: Fact-Check Your Stories
OK to Say
- “Beef produces 60kg CO₂ per kg” (FAO data)
- “Livestock uses 80% of agricultural land” (documented)
- “Lab meat uses 90% less land” (peer-reviewed studies)
NOT OK
- “Meat is murder” (moral claim, not fact)
- “Plant-based diets cure cancer” (exaggeration)
- “All farmers are destroying the planet” (false generalization)
Group Assignment Time!
Presentation Countdown